Gundam-loving employees talk about the appeal of the anime series and their favorite MS [Part 2]

In this roundtable discussion, we have gathered employees who love Gundam to hear their thoughts.
In the first part, they talked about the appeal of Gundam, which is loved across generations.

In this second part, we will deliver their passionate thoughts on their favorite characters and mobile suits (MS).

Member Introduction

Mr. M
Job: In charge of developing customer management systems for new businesses
Favorite series: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED series

Mr. E
Job: In charge of device development for new businesses
Favorite series: Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

Mr. N
Job: In charge of customer websites and data analysis services
Favorite series: Mobile Suit Gundam (First Gundam)

Mr. S
Job: In charge of operating the official SKY PerfecTV! website
Favorite series: Mobile Suit Gundam (First Gundam)

Mr. KS
Job: In charge of providing customer experiences such as call center operations and email delivery
Favorite series: Mobile Fighter G Gundam
(*Also like Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 STARDUST MEMORY)

Mr. KN
Job: In charge of initiatives to increase the number of subscribers, such as promotional activities with broadcasters.
Favorite series: Mobile Suit Gundam (First Gundam)

Introducing our top-recommended characters and mobile suits!

―Gundam features various characters and mobile suits, but could you tell us your favorites?

Mr. M: "In the Universal Century series, I like the Ez8. It's a mass-produced mobile suit that appears in the side story 'Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team' (*technically, it's a mass-produced unit that was modified in the field due to a lack of parts). Unlike the main First Gundam series, this 08th MS Team is about a regular platoon, and they fight in a gritty way. They wait in ambush for days for a sniper shot, or fight alongside guerrilla units. This grittiness is also part of Gundam's appeal!
And the 08th MS Team is a love story, where the protagonist, the platoon leader, falls in love with an enemy female pilot."

―That sounds like an absolutely heartbreaking development. My heart already aches just hearing that...

Mr. KS: "It really is a painful story... In this work, there is a scene where they make a hot spring with a beam saber. We learned for the first time that you could make a hot spring with a beam saber."

Everyone: "(Laughs)"

Mr. M: "They are forced to fight even though they love each other, but they end up stranded in the snow in the Himalayas to save each other's lives. Since it's the Himalayas, it's cold, right? There is a steamy scene where the two of them melt the snow with a beam saber to make a hot spring and warm themselves up."

―(A steamy scene where they melt the snow with a beam saber to warm up in a hot spring)?

Mr. KS: "No, this is a legendary scene! They keep the beam saber's output as low as possible and touch it to the snow to create a hot spring."

Mr. S: "Is that a 'legendary' scene or a 'questionable' scene..."

Mr. KS: "It's a 'legendary' scene!"

Mr. E: "For me, my favorite character is Char Aznable. Char is on the Zeon side, but he's not completely an enemy... Char himself has a complicated past and is plotting revenge; he's the shadow protagonist of Gundam, isn't he? That's what makes him so cool!"

―A secret protagonist plotting revenge with that visual. That's unfair, Char.

E: "As for mobile suits, I also like The O from 'Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam'. The person piloting it is a bad guy, but it has all sorts of mechanisms and it's cool..."

―What kind of mechanisms?

E: "The swords pop out from near its feet!"

KS: "That's the hidden arm. There's a genius who awakened to their power while going to Jupiter to get resources and returning, and that's the most excellent robot that person built."

E: "That's right! And there's one more mobile suit I like, the Wing Gundam EW."

Everyone: (Searching for images) "Cool!"

N: "It can fight in this form!?"

E: "Of course! The wings flap properly, too. It appears in the movie version of 'New Mobile Report Gundam W', and when I saw it in middle school, it really struck a chord with my inner teenager."

S: "It gradually gets more stylish, doesn't it? It's standing like a ballerina..."

Everyone: (Laughs)

M: "When 'New Mobile Report Gundam W' was aired, the characters were all made to be handsome, with female popularity in mind."

KS: "They even cast voice actor Hikaru Midorikawa and others."

―So cool! Since they all have different styles, it seems like everyone could have a favorite.

N: "Since I was promoted to manager this year, I've come to like Bright Noa."

S: "Isn't that middle management!"

Everyone: (Laughs)

N: "I'm really caught in the middle and it's tough (laughs). I used to like a different character... but among the characters in the original Gundam, Bright Noa is the most average person. He's the captain of the White Base, but he's a character who grows while worrying about being pushed from below and told various things from above."

―I feel like I've caught a glimpse of N's struggles... Favorite characters change depending on your own situation, don't they?

N: "As for mobile suits, the Gelgoog is good. The Gelgoog has light sabers coming out of both sides, and that's cool! Also, when Char was riding the Gelgoog, a mobile armor called Elmeth appeared and fought Gundam, and that scene is really good! That's when Amuro awakened as a Newtype, you know (laughs)."

Mr. S: "At the moment Amuro's Gundam fires its beam rifle, Lalah's Elmeth shields Char's Gelgoog..."

Mr. N: "This is just my guess, but when Lalah and Amuro awakened as Newtypes, Char must have realized that he wasn't a Newtype (to the same extent as Amuro)."

Mr. KS: "The sad thing about Newtypes is that while it might be an evolution meant for living in space, that power is only ever unleashed in the middle of war. It's a power that would be used for happy things, like expressing love or deciding what to eat, but the fact that it's only used for war is one of the conflicts, isn't it?"

Mr. KN: "There are also examples of people created artificially, like Four Murasame. The meaning behind the name 'Four' is also heartbreaking, as it means she was the fourth human developed. She reveals this to the protagonist of Zeta Gundam, Kamille Bidan, and that scene was also very painful to watch."

―I had the impression that Newtypes and awakening were cool, but there's a sadness that comes precisely because of that setting, isn't there?

Mr. S: "I can't narrow it down to just one favorite character, but... on the Federation side, I like Kai Shiden."

Mr. N: "The 'coward,' right?"

Mr. S: "Exactly, he's the kind of guy who gets slapped in the face and told, 'Are you even a man, you coward!' (laughs). He changes after meeting a woman named Miharu. Miharu was a spy who snuck onto White Base, and Kai protects her even after finding out the truth. Miharu presses the emergency activation button for the missiles in the missile bay, and the recoil causes her to fall... Kai makes a scene about Miharu being gone, but since she was a spy, no one else knew she existed... that's an episode I really love."

―Is this a sub-story? There are too many heartbreaking love stories.

Mr. S: "Also, on the Zeon side, I like Ramba Ral... and Dozle Zabi, who was a good person despite being a member of the Zabi family, is also great. Speaking of the Zabi family, Gihren Zabi's line, 'I shall dare to say it: they are scum,' is also memorable (laughs)."

Mr. KS: "Dozle Zabi is like our company's General Manager shu."

Mr. S: "As for mobile suits, I liked the Black Tri-Stars! They perform a technique called the Jet Stream Attack, but they get easily defeated by the Gundam."

Mr. N: "Oh, that happened! That's great, isn't it?"

Mr. KS: "It might be different from a favorite character, but I remember Katzin Luse from 'Mobile Suit Victory Gundam.' She first appears as the older sister figure the protagonist admires, but she turns traitor and destroys her allies. She's the epitome of a villainess, and my distrust of women started here..."

Mr. E: "She exploits the protagonist's romantic feelings, doesn't she?"

Mr. KS: "Exactly, she's a very unpleasant character, which makes her memorable."

Everyone: "(laughs)"

Mr. KS: "As for mobile suits, I like the Master Gundam from 'Mobile Fighter G Gundam.' Unlike the others, this series isn't a deep story; representatives from each country ride Gundams and keep fighting to decide who is the best. It's a representative mobile suit, and it's piloted by a martial arts master who turns golden when he focuses his energy."

Mr. M: "This series uses Gundams to do a classic hot-blooded robot show (laughs)."

Mr. KS: "Right, it's not deep! It's like a Gundam version of the Tenkaichi Budokai!"

Everyone: "(Laughs)"

KN: "For me, it's definitely the Gundam (RX-78-2). There's a scene where it enters Earth's atmosphere from space, and normally, if you enter the atmosphere at high speed, you'd burn up from the friction heat, so a Zaku would be incinerated, but the Gundam is fine because it has heat-resistant film."

S: "That's the scene where Amuro is desperately reading the manual."

KN: "Exactly, desperately looking for how not to burn up (laughs). It was written that there was heat-resistant film in the Gundam's stomach. Seeing the difference from the Zaku, I thought, 'The Gundam is amazing! It's the best.' Since I was rooting for the Earth Federation Forces when I was little, ultimately, I love the Gundam."

―As expected of the protagonist! With performance that's in a different league, it's an overwhelming hero.

To enjoy the new movie 'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM'

―'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM' will be released on Friday, January 26th.

M: "The 'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED' series incorporates themes like genetic modification and clones. It depicts the battle between 'Naturals' (Earth Alliance Forces), who are ordinary humans, and 'Coordinators' (ZAFT Forces), who were genetically modified and born with superior intellect and physical abilities, resulting in them being persecuted by Naturals out of jealousy and living in colonies called PLANTS."

―It really is friendly to newcomers! Thank you for the explanation.

M: "One of the appeals of the Gundam SEED series is that it's packed with many homages to the First Gundam, which we discussed today! For example..."

―That's true! I can feel the DNA of the First Gundam!

M: "In 'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED', the conflict between the protagonist Kira, who is a Coordinator but gets caught up in the war as a member of the Earth Alliance Forces, and Athrun, an ace of the ZAFT Forces and Kira's childhood friend, as well as the battle between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT Forces, are depicted. In contrast, in the (sequel) 'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny', with Shinn Asuka of the ZAFT Forces as the protagonist, a chaotic war is depicted involving the Earth Alliance and ZAFT Forces, Blue Cosmos/LOGOS inciting war behind the scenes, and Kira and his friends acting as a third force to stop the war."

―I'm curious about the complex relationships and intersecting thoughts. Since it's a series from about 20 years ago, this movie version must be irresistible for fans.

M: "That's right! I'm curious about the outcome of each battle in the movie version—did peace finally come, or..."

―I, I'm curious...! This means I have to go to the movie theater!
We talked about everything from the First Gundam to the new work this time, and I was inspired by the high level of enthusiasm of all the Gundam fans.

S: "I thought Gundam was great, including the passion of the roundtable members. Maybe I'll rewatch the First Gundam movie. And I completely forgot to mention Sayla-san as a favorite character... She's my number one favorite character, but I liked her too much to talk about her (laughs)."

N: "It was a great learning experience for me to see the world of Gundam from perspectives different from my own. Like the military industry part."

- It's interesting to discover different perspectives by talking with other fans. And I have a feeling we could keep talking forever... I want to join in, so I'll start from the basics!

Thank you all so much!

Gundam is loved by many fans even now, more than 40 years after its birth.

Perhaps we can enjoy the series we used to love even more deeply by looking back on them with other fans or by learning about other series.

And for those who haven't watched Gundam yet, why not take this opportunity to peek into the world of Gundam?

(Interview and text by Yama)

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